Broken Dusk: Raid of the Outcasts
by seerseeker
Summary: Strings. Links that connect individuals. Some are stronger than others, yet create powerful drawbacks when severed. Strings come in various kinds: Unexpected, Invincible, Forced, Toxic. Smaller and inquisitive groups tend to study these bonds, testing the limits and even manipulating ones attached to comrades. Trust the right ones. (RotBTD Hogwarts/Rwby AU)
1. The Land of Berk

Author's Note: This will be a Jackunzel and Mericcup story, but relationships will not be explored until Year 4: The Frozen Core.

* * *

War between Berk and the Outcasts could never falter. The sky blazed with fire and lightning as large beasts soared over the flammable structures on Berk. Lives were at risk. Though the Outcasts had lost a noticeable amount of dragons by the Ministry, their next card turned the tides. Unlike other occasions, it seemed like the Outcasts wanted to win this day.

Their approach to the island was expected, yet odd. The way the ships arrived without any deployed dragons but instead the Berserker Tribe's fleet tailing created a scenario worth investigating. Chief Stoick the Vast allowed the armada to reach the docks with no defence executed.

The entire tribe of Berkians watched from the cliffside to see what their enemies wanted. With the Berserkers and Outcasts together, bad news was only to be expected. The Chief was on his own at the docks, standing proud and tall as the protector of the land. His dragon joined up with him after that, growling defensively as the leaders of the two clans exited their ships.

The clouds parted and revealed the sun, which was still barely heating up the island for the summer. It was a rare occurrence to even see the sun on this island, but the Vikings still called it home, and so did their dragons. The sea was bluer than ever and the glint on the Berserker's metal helmet was caught in Stoick's eyes.

"Oswald the Agreeable must have shined it for this day," he thought.

When his vision cleared, he could see it was not the man he was expecting. The Viking next to the Outcast leader, Alvin the Treacherous, was none other than Dagur Vestarson, son of Oswald.

"This isn't what I expected. What is the meaning of all this? First, a peaceful arrival to this island and now the Berserkers' leader isn't here." Stoick folded his arms, demanding an explanation. He was still in no position to be this courageous. Being the only one at the docks with his dragon and having an entire fleet of outsiders aiming their sights on him should've made him reconsider his approach before this meeting.

"Well, Stoick, the years are always changing, and so do leaders!" remarked Alvin in a light-hearted manner. But his tone changed after a short chuckle. "You know what else changes? The law."

"Couldn't agree more," replied Stoick. "That still doesn't explain why you've arrived with the Berserker Tribe. Unless you've decided to start a treaty as we _are_ with the Berserkers."

"The opposite, Stoick, the opposite. We've come to offer your tribe a proposal. While we've heard Berk agreeing to the laws set up by the Ministry, we're here to change your minds."

Dagur took out a knife and began spinning it during the talk. He soon stepped in to contribute to the meeting. "You heard that the Berserkers lost all their dragons to the Ministry. But nothing was done. My father was weak, so now I'm in charge. I'm offering a truce between all three tribes—under one condition."

"And what will that be?" asked Stoick.

"You will go against the Ministry. Unregister your dragons and fight with us to take down that wretched government! Together we'll be able to get our dragons back, and peace will finally come to Berk. Isn't that what you wanted?" asked Dagur while throwing the knife on the wooden deck.

"No, I will not take part in such a reckless attempt to take down the Ministry. They're the reason why any of our islands remain standing since Year X. It is not Berk's problem. Your dragons were taken away and that's that. All this was _your_ doing. Taking over land and shedding blood was not by Berk, but by your tribe. So of course the Wizengamot didn't prosecute Berk when we registered our dragons."

"You're willing to watch your village burn by the hands of the Ministry?" threatened Alvin.

"It isn't the Ministry I'm worried about. It is what you plan to do now that our truce with the Berserkers is finally over."

Alvin drew his sword and Dagur had another knife ready in his hand, slowly approaching Stoick as an attempt to force him to agree with their plans. Stoick did nothing to evade the danger. Instead, his dragon steadily moved in between them, guarding his owner. The two Vikings then charged to get past the Thunderdrum, but its sonic roar pushed them further to where their ships were. They didn't bother to claim back their weapons, which clattered against the wood after the impact. They instead retreated back to their ships, leaving ever so slowly until they disappeared at the horizon.

"You'll get what's coming, Stoick. Mark my words. Berk will fall!" Dagur warned.

Stoick already knew how he'd handle that situation. The two tribes had little to no tamed dragons left. The wild ones the Outcasts unleashed on them all those years were hard to capture unless they used their dragons—which was impossible at the moment. Stoick also considered that magic was extremely faint at Berk, so Dagur could not use any of it against him. Gothi, the village elder, was also standing on watch with the rest of the village. Her skills were beyond others and she was able to perform spells at a mediocre level here on Berk. If the problem escalated, Gothi was going to save the day.

If Gothi were to fail, they had their final line of defence, which was a long kept secret of Berk. Only a select few knew of it since it was last used almost a century ago.

"Good job, Thornado." Stoick praised and petted his blue dragon. Selecting a dragon for Stoick was difficult as he was too controlling over them, demanding results almost immediately when he was Hiccup's age. A lot of people gave up for Stoick and never expected him to tame one. It was to be expected from a Squib anyway.

But Stoick's friends never gave up on him. They searched far and wide with their own dragons, in search of the perfect match for Stoick, their future leader. Their efforts were almost wasted, for Stoick was too stubborn to cooperate with the dragons, until one of his friends, Valka, found a wild Thunderdrum. At first, their meeting did not go so well as Stoick demanded it to become his. This enraged the dragon, motivating it to follow them back to Berk to wreak havoc.

Stoick was able to pacify the dragon, but it still remained bitter towards Stoick. The two were replicas of one another. They were both too stubborn to change their ways, hoping to bring misery on each other. It was only until Berk was attacked that they both had a common enemy and banded together, making them one of the strongest fighters on Berk.

* * *

Air circulated in the room, like time passing by. The endless cycle was painful to experience. Rapunzel had spent the summer living by herself with Pascal. Sure her friends had visited every now and then, but during the times by herself felt like an eternity. Her room was unpacked the minute she arrived, showing how busy she had to keep herself without losing her mind. There were times when she had stared out the window—like she did at her old home—and analysed basically everything she spotted.

On one of the days, Rapunzel watched the path from the window and guessed how each person lived their lives, how clean, disorganised, happy, sad, energetic, and weary they were. She predicted their jobs and hobbies, and if they were in a relationship. It was then when she had spotted a vessel of emptiness. The boy appeared as if his soul was a void, absorbing all the light that had surrounded him. He was travelling with another male, and she recognised them both. It was John and Xander. That was when Rapunzel decided to greet them, even though she had millions of opportunities to do so. It was also a good moment to ask them where Yang was and why John was at Diagon Alley, most likely because he was after books since school was beginning in a few weeks.

Now there was one week remaining, and Rapunzel felt as if she had bothered the others enough. Hiccup, Merida, and Jack visited her a few times already, but now it became less frequent. Jack visited the most, but ever since that law by the Ministry involving Floo powder came into place, his access became limited. They still stuck to writing to each other, recounting their weeks, including both the eventful and insignificant moments. It would seem like Jack's life hadn't returned back to normal even though he left Hogwarts. His life before Hogwarts was left behind after the accident.

Rapunzel's belongings were already packed and ready for Hogwarts, as she was impatient. She missed the school routine badly. There wasn't anything precious Rapunzel had at her old home; she had brought them with her to Hogwarts during her second year. It wasn't like her mother was going to return it to her let alone buy something nice for her anyway.

Another method battling boredom was reading and painting—although she ran out of subject matters. There was plenty to read through, as libraries in Diagon Alley were abundant with textbooks and novels. So many great stories of adventures and self-development she had read, and she wondered when hers was going to begin. She was now ahead of many students as she challenged herself to read the textbooks set for this year. Although memorising the information wasn't essential because once the professors reiterate the information, she'd be familiar with it.

She also looked forward to the electives she had chosen last year to study this year. Her thirst to know more about the Muggle world drove her to select Muggle Studies. She wasn't sure what the others picked, except that Merida avoided Muggle Studies as she had lived in the Muggle world for some time now. Her second and final preference was Arithmancy even though many students avoided it. She would've chosen Care of Magical Creatures, but she supposed she knew enough about the animals from both the wizarding and Muggle worlds. She was great with them anyway and Pascal was proof.

Rapunzel remembered the time she went to the pet store at Diagon Alley. There were so many exotic species of reptiles and birds. Of course, she brought Pascal along with her as she assumed all the animals would be tame and have no intentions to harm her chameleon. The owner was young and told Rapunzel that she left Hogwarts a few years ago. She would've been in her sixth year if she stayed. While Pascal was getting acquainted with the animals, Rapunzel told stories of her time at Hogwarts, especially when the White Death's Curse was present. The owner, Natalia, was glad she left the school now.

A sentence then stood out to Rapunzel during her conversation with Natalia. The conversation started off being about Hogwarts but changed into being about animals and pets.

 _Pets aren't really pets. They're friends and normally the unexpected encounters are the ones that matter the most. If you keep searching for the right one, then you'll be blinded by prejudice and judgement. But if you never really try, then you'll never see who's making an effort for you._

"It didn't only apply exclusively to animals," Rapunzel thought. She then wondered how Hiccup was going with the whole shenanigan about choosing a dragon his age. She wanted to tell him to be patient, but the others were already getting their own dragons, tempting Hiccup to become anxious about himself.

It was a while since Rapunzel went to the pet store, so she guessed today was going to be spent there. She scooped up Pascal, who was more than eager to see his new friends.

* * *

It was back to peace when the older Vikings made their way down to the docks, making sure the armada of Berserkers and Outcasts didn't return. They began packing their ships to set sail into the ocean, resupplying their stock of fish for the dragons.

Hiccup and the others remained on the cliff's edge, discussing what would happen if Dagur and Alvin succeeded. The outcome wouldn't affect Hogwarts at all when they thought about it. They knew Professor Lunar had to obey the rules set by the Ministry, but last year his actions proved that he thought otherwise, which was what led to those new laws.

"What good is it for the Ministry to force us to register anyway?" asked Snotlout.

"They obviously did it to target Alvin the Treacherous. He can't register unless he faces his consequences for his crimes, same with the Berserkers." Astrid replied.

"That's what we think," said Hiccup. "The Ministry still haven't declared the real reason why."

"What do you mean, Hiccup?" asked Fishlegs.

"Yeah, what _do_ you mean? You're sounding a lot like the Berserkers last year at Hogwarts." Snotlout remarked even though he was the one who questioned the Ministry's motives.

"I mean that it's strange how they made those rules. I still don't see how it benefits them. And there are rumours that they've been capturing dragons in the wild, even though nobody owns them."

Gothi's presence disturbed them all. By now she would've left back to her hut located on one of the highest peaks on Berk. She owned no dragon large enough to carry her up there. Instead, she relied on Apparition, which was an archaic skill used frequently before Year X. Hiccup only witnessed it last year by Gothel, the only person known to have performed it other than Gothi. He also heard a student's father teleporting them to Hogsmeade instead of taking the train, but he couldn't recall who told him that.

"What's the matter, Gothi?" asked Hiccup. The old woman did not reply. She squinted into the distance and aimed her staff to the sky, firing a jet of red. The propelled spell reached high enough for everyone to see, before exploding with an alarming sound.

All the Vikings stopped their activities and watched the crimson sky. They all immediately returned back to the docks with their dragons, abandoning the boats. Hiccup focussed to see what the big deal was for Gothi to signal danger. Until the red glare disappeared, Hiccup was able to see what was approaching.

A swarm of dragons were on their way to Berk, and he couldn't tell what species they were. Their roars were heard like a faint hum. The students did not leave as they were too curious to see how the battle would play out. These dragons were not a single type, but rather a large variety, meaning they all had to prepare everything a dragon was weak to. Normally the Outcasts sent one type, which was slightly easy to counter. It must have been their determination to make them send all kinds and the fact that the Berserkers might have contributed to this.

Fires were shot from the first group of dragons. Their flames arched towards the island, aimed nowhere in particular. The fireballs rained onto the Vikings who were blocking it with their shields. The children were still safe, but the second group of dragons accelerated to them. They were Whispering Deaths.

The Whispering Deaths crashed on the side of the cliff, boring a tunnel underneath the students. They could already feel the ground shaking as cracks formed and grew. The portion the children stood on began crumbling down and they were soon about to fall into the ocean or onto jagged rocks.

Hiccup attempted to grab onto something, but nothing was close by. There weren't any dragons coming to save them and there were no loose branches to stop them. Hiccup then saw Gothi falling with them, showing no emotion while crossing her arms, supposedly displeased with such a minor inconvenience. She whipped out her staff and created a blue mist that covered the ones falling including herself. Their fall was slowing down as when the mist disappeared, they were above the wooden path that connected the cliff to the docks.

Gothi then apparated herself away from the battle, as she never took part in the violence. It was for the best since they'd be in trouble if she were to mysteriously vanish from the island.

Astrid made sure everyone was safe before heading back to the top of the cliff. The sloped walkway was strong for all Vikings to walk atop. They watched as new dragons started attacking the adults.

A burst on both sides broke through the cliff's edge and a Whispering Death emerged from each hole. Its destruction destroyed the walkway, which fell and landed on another walkway. These dragons were somehow a lot more intelligent than they used to be.

"Everyone off!" ordered Astrid. The others did as she instructed and quickly jumped off onto the other walkway. The wooden walkway they previously stood on then slid off and fell into the water.

"Where are our dragons when we need them?!" complained Tuffnut as he started becoming dramatic over the situation. With a portion of the path destroyed, there was no way back up.

He received a punch across his jaw from his twin sister. "Gobber put them in cages so they'd get to Hogwarts tonight, _genius_!" she jeered.

"Is that so? I think Gobber forgot to lock you up too." Tuffnut and Ruffnut began fighting with each other by flailing their arms onto one another.

"Why don't I put _you_ in one?" Ruffnut commented.

A group of Gronkles came to them, but they were Berk's dragons, here to help. To their relief, they hopped onto one until there was Hiccup left.

"Hurry, Hiccup!" called Astrid, but she saw the boy hesitating. He was afraid to get on the dragon, even if it was between life and death. Astrid had to hurry before more dragons came to them. "Hiccup! Look at me. Don't look anywhere else."

Hiccup tried, but couldn't do anything to take another step forward to the dragon. He was trembling, which was uncommon. He couldn't calm himself down. Hiccup hoped this fear would disappear one day, especially at this age when he was supposed to have his own dragon. He couldn't face Astrid anymore, not even while her hand was reaching out to him. He turned and ignored her voice, running down the path to find another way up, no matter how dangerous it was.

At least he wasn't going to be alone. The older and stronger Vikings were down there handling the dragons—even though they were outmatched. There were countless alternative paths to get back up to Berk, and Hiccup aimed to head around into the wilderness, where he'd scale back up. He'd done it many times when exploring beyond the forest, but he made sure to stay close as the further he was, the more likely he'd encounter a dragon.

Another explosion of rubble appeared in front of Hiccup and caused him to fall. Until the raining stones stopped, he opened his eyes to see another Whispering Death.

"Oh come on. Why is it always you?!" complained Hiccup. The Whispering Death's rotating jaws begin reflecting a bit of light, where the main source came from the dragon's throat. It was about to breathe its fire to burn Hiccup to ashes.

A blur ran past the dragon, knocking it to the ground. Hiccup slowly ran around it, seeing that his father saved his life by hitting the dragon to redirect its fire. Stoick wrestled the dragon with his arms and kept the dragon's mouth clamped shut.

An arm went around Hiccup's waist and picked him up like he weighed nothing. Gobber was instructed to keep Hiccup safe during the attacks, and today was no exception.

"What are you doing? The walkway is broken. There's no way back up but through the forest!"

"Aye, we already know that. Gothi's back to fix it," said Gobber.

"Gothi? But she just left." Hiccup didn't know why Gothi had to confuse them like that, leaving and coming back at the wrong time. Maybe she was too old.

They got to the wreckage and saw Gothi on the other side, waving her staff and forcing the broken wood to mend itself. There was a small group of Terrible Terrors, minuscule dragons that were basically nothing but an annoyance to the Vikings. They weren't particularly deadly to Hiccup, so he had considered getting one, but he'd be the only one to have one other than Gothi. His reputation to fall—even lower than how it was now.

The Terrible Terrors were strongest in groups, firing their smaller breaths to dragons that were about to interfere with Gothi while she did her magic. Gobber and Hiccup crossed it and met up with the others who had dismounted the Gronkles.

Hiccup admired how powerful Gothi was. She was probably extremely talented and a strong fighter during Year X since she claimed she was present at the time. Her magic had reached impossible limits that her loss of magic at Berk was nothing compared to other Vikings.

"Man, it'll be great to be able to use magic here on Berk." Hiccup commented.

"It's not so helpful during the raids," said Astrid. "I tried a spell last year, but it was weakened. Even if it was how it was meant to be at Hogwarts, a dragon's scale would be able to block it. You remember when Snotlout was in detention near Christmas?"

Hiccup nodded and saw Snotlout's pink face, embarrassed that Astrid brought up a humiliating event for him.

"What about Core Magic. It worked, didn't it?" asked Hiccup.

"It does, but only Xander can do that," said Snotlout. "Don't forget that raw power is what brings a dragon to its place."

"Yeah, your raw power was sure working on the Monstrous Nightmare," said Tuffnut.

"Hey! I was holding back on it. The next time I see it will be different though. It'll be sorry for messing with a Jorgenson."

"I've asked Gothi, Hiccup," said Gobber. "The professors all said that that boy's Core Magic is new to them. Never have they seen it cast as a spell except from the Sorting Wand. Unless they ask the boy how it was done, others wouldn't be able to cast it."

"And nobody's asking?" questioned Astrid.

"Lunar told us to stay out of it, as they were trained by an unknown source. They are most likely dangerous and best to be kept clear of." Gobber said.

Hiccup then noticed the fake expression on Gobber. He was hiding something from them. Hiccup also picked up on the fact that Gobber said 'they' instead of 'he'.

"But don't worry Hiccup. Maybe when you're a hundred years older, you'll be as strong as Gothi," joked Gobber, only to receive a whack on his head from Gothi's staff.

Among the slight laughter of the students, Astrid lowered her head, deep in thought. She could see it in Hiccup's face. Hiccup was hiding too much from Gobber. He knew more about Xander and Yang than she thought. Instead of staying on the sidelines this year, Astrid was going to do whatever she can to help out. She knew Flynn Rider and some Ravenclaws were up to something too. They were usually pumped to go study in a private classroom.

Hiccup's job wasn't over yet, while the other young teenagers left to protect the buildings. He either had to head to the foundry—which was still in repairs after the Whispering Death destroyed half of it over a year ago—or help Gobber load his ship at another dock which was safer.

Hiccup didn't want to be at the foundry for a while after that day, so he chose the latter. Helping Gobber carry the small cages of Terrible Terrors for Care of Magical Creatures was slightly daunting, but knowing they were in cages brought him to ease.

"You know… You've got to be able to face your fears, Hiccup."

"I know, Gobber." Hiccup replied ruefully.

"It's not because you need a dragon right now, Hiccup. You're doing Care of Magical Creatures this year, and when you start school next week, it'll be obvious to the others doing that class as well. Dagur and those students Lunar's keeping an eye on are also doing that class. Once they see you like that, they'll pick on you, and Stoick wouldn't want to hear what happened to his son."

"I know," repeated Hiccup. "Those other students you're talking about is Xander and Yang, right?"

Gobber nodded. "I've also heard rumours that you and your friends have been interacting with them. While I'm sure you, Jack, Merida, and Rapunzel aren't dangerous, I think you need to choose carefully of whom to trust. The damage will affect mainly your friends rather than yourself."


	2. Dragon Rushed

No matter how sugarcoated Fishlegs made it sound, dragons weren't in any way intriguing to Hiccup. After that raid, the Vikings had recovered from the damages from these newer dragons. Some were captured to be analysed by the adults along with Fishlegs, but there was nothing new they found out. It didn't explain how these different dragons were able to fight together without an alpha nearby. Normally they'd attack with their own kind.

"These dragons were probably scared seeing how the Outcasts are now so determined. They must've done something to change the way they tamed these dragons—maybe something cruel," said Fishlegs packing his belongings in an empty sack.

"Well I wouldn't blame them for being so welcoming with their fangs," replied Hiccup.

"Hmm… Still not fond of them? I thought you were interested since you asked about Night Furies so many times during the break. Even when I wasn't around, I noticed you going through the Dragon Manual, staring at the blank page of the Night Fury." Fishlegs placed the last stack of books in front of him, leaning back up in the most polite posture towards Hiccup. "Care to enlighten me about that?"

Hiccup didn't reply. He stared back at the larger teenager and then continued to sort out his books for his third year at Hogwarts. "I don't plan on hunting them down if that's what you're wondering."

"And I hope you're telling the truth, Hiccup. Night Furies are nothing like dragons we know. They came to only do one thing and one thing only. Whatever I taught you about dragons doesn't apply to them." Fishlegs was probably assuming the questions asked was for Hiccup's desire to kill one after that fateful day years ago.

"I plan to train one," lied Hiccup. "If I want to make my mark, then I'll do the impossible."

Fishlegs was somehow relieved to hear that, even though he—the dragon-loving Viking—also had the same reasons as Berk to despise their kind. "That's very brave of you, but even the strongest Viking here wouldn't dare to try that. And I hate to break it to you, but Night Furies haven't been seen since that day."

"I know. You told me many times. Oh well, I guess that means I'll just keep looking for the right dragon then," lied Hiccup again as he bolted out Meade Hall, leaving his suitcase near the Portkey for next week.

Hiccup was becoming nosy that even the twins were onto him. The only thing Hiccup was trying to solve was the mysterious disappearance of Night Furies. Their scales were what the Dark Weapon were after, and yet none have been sighted in years. It was good news for Hiccup, but he still wasn't going to rest. Merida and Jack had been safe this holiday, keeping their precious 'ingredients' safe. Merida had kept her necklace with her at all times, trying to find the best place to hide it, but nowhere was. It was also best with her since it would protect her from Core Magic.

Jack was well informed by Hiccup to stay safe and to remain at the North Pole for as long as possible. Hiccup and his friends had concluded that another ingredient the Dark Weapon were after was Jack's Core Magic, as it was somehow tied to a special Semblance. Extra caution was advised for Jack, as if Merida was to fail, then she'd lose her necklace. But in Jack's case, he'd lose his life because Core Magic was essential to a wizard. It was the primary factor that differentiated wizards from Muggles.

Hiccup was so close to writing a letter to Yang, informing her of what he knew, but something kept him from doing so. He was also glad Gobber spoke to him about that, reaffirming that Hiccup's decision of trusting people mattered. He still hopes those few were busy too.

* * *

Hiccup waited for Rapunzel and Merida at the station. Rapunzel was quite early since she was more than prepared for Hogwarts. Merida arrived shortly after with her mother and greeted the two. It wasn't long until she left, leaving the three on their own with their luggage. It was just incomplete without Jack, who had no intentions of returning for his third year.

"So did you end up finding a place to hide it?" asked Hiccup as a response to her latest letter to him from about a week ago.

"No." Merida answered. She reached down her neck and pulled out the gemstone, still blindingly white in the light. "I guess we'll be safe at Hogwarts for now though. The danger will be at the Ministry around now."

"Yeah," replied Hiccup. "I'll talk more about it on the train."

Hiccup led the two on the train, helping them with their luggage. The empty compartment they found was rather odd. They felt an odd vibe in the atmosphere, most likely because they had to keep their conversations private. There was no telling who was eavesdropping.

"So long story short, the Outcasts teamed up with the Berserkers, Dagur's tribe, and plan to take down the Ministry to get back their dragons. While Berk has refused to join them, we're now enemies with the Berserkers."

"And Dagur's father died after their dragons were taken? Were the Ministry responsible for that?" asked Merida.

"In a way, yes. Dagur wanted to take his place. He was most likely reluctant to join Alvin." Hiccup explained. He saw Rapunzel and noticed something different. "Pascal's not with you?"

"No," she answered shaking her head. "I left him at the pet store. Natalia was so interested in chameleons because she had never seen one before. It's probably a good idea after what happened last year."

"You think something will happen this year?" asked Merida. "If anything, Dagur might deploy his army of dragons at the school."

"Hm, I didn't see him at King's Cross. I hope he isn't here, not because of him getting focused on attacking the Ministry is a good move, but I'll be able to walk around the school without the feeling of danger following."

"We'll be able to do our school work properly without any curse or Dusk Droid nearby. My father and the three from Hufflepuff's fathers are still scouting the area near Hogwarts to take out any stray creatures corrupted by Black Sand. So if a dragon _does_ come, he'll let the Ministry know about it. And hopefully, the school will be notified before they arrive." Merida said.

"I'm still worried," said Rapunzel.

"What do you mean?" asked Hiccup.

"We haven't heard much news about the Dark Weapon. Mother's definitely told the Dark Weapon about those ingredients, and we've narrowed down exactly where two of them are. But nothing's happened to Jack or Merida. So the Dark Weapon must be after the other two ingredients." Rapunzel leaned forward to sound clearer. "If the Dark Weapon _are_ after an ingredient, we still wouldn't have any control over the situation when it arrives at Hogwarts."

"Don't worry," assured Merida. "If something related to the Dark Weapon happens, the story would be on the front page of the Daily Prophet. Our main focus should now be on the Outcasts and Berserkers. Meanwhile, school is most important."

"Something _is_ happening. If the Dark Weapon haven't been heard from, then they're waiting for something."

"What?" asked Merida.

"The invasion at the Ministry," answered Hiccup.

"It's a great opportunity for them. The Ministry must have rare objects guarded there. They just needed the diversion."

"I don't believe it," protested Merida. "Dagur may be unstable and untrustworthy, but he's on our side. He's a wizard… and owns dragons too. Last I checked, dragons belong to the list of magical creatures. There's no way he's being manipulated by the Dark Weapon."

"Mother is a witch," said Rapunzel. "Maybe they gave a Horcrux to Dagur, promising eternal life. That's something he'd consider."

"What's at the Ministry then? Corona's Potion is still undiscovered, considered a myth. Night Furies haven't been seen for a long time. But if the Dark Weapon are catching dragons, then maybe the chances of them having one is possible," said Hiccup.

"So how would we deal with this information?" asked Merida. "We're not going to the Ministry, right? It's not like we're able to take the train without getting caught. None of us can fly a dragon or Apparate. Not to mention that the Floo Network and Portkeys have been restricted."

"How about we tell a professor? They might be able to help." Rapunzel suggested.

"I don't know about that. After what happened last year, we should be careful about telling them." Hiccup knew what Gobber knew. The professors were as sketchy as Xander and Yang.

"That was Lunar, not all of them! Lunar thought he had things under control, but it all got out of hand. There are other professors we can trust, like Bunny, Tooth, and North. Mansnoozie… I'm not sure what goes through his head." Merida said.

"I'm sure explaining to any professor is a good idea," Hiccup said sarcastically. "It's not like we're keeping secrets from them, like the ingredients the Dark Weapon are after. If they did believe us, they still won't be able to leave to the Ministry. First, they need to teach their classes. And secondly, if they got to the Ministry, they'd have a lot of explaining to do. That wouldn't be good because the Ministry would think they don't trust them—which they don't. When that happened last year between the Ministry and Lunar, they added new rules which led to this."

Merida slowly slouched on her seat. Her hands covered her face as she let out a groan. "Planning these things are so hard."

Eventually, the three fell into a deep slumber while the sun was drawing near the horizon.

* * *

A jolt from the train woke everyone suddenly. Hiccup's eyes opened wide as he heard screaming from the end of the carriage. They were in the last carriage. He opened the sliding doors and saw students running past to the other compartments. Some students were injured, with wounds on their arms and head. Now Hiccup had to see what had happened to create an uproar.

Merida and Rapunzel followed, seeing Hiccup rushing to the back of the train. They weren't the only ones heading to danger. Others were also curious to see the problem. They got close the end and could feel the strong breeze blowing against their hair. Hiccup then made a sudden pause in the middle of the hallway as more students moved around them to escape from behind. Hiccup then turned immediately and ran through Merida and Rapunzel, heading the next compartments.

"I'll see what's happening. You should make sure Hiccup's okay," said Merida.

"Are you sure?" asked Rapunzel. "Be careful."

Merida winked. "I'm more ready for this." She had her bow and quiver in her hands just before they left the compartment. She put on the quiver and pulled out an arrow. If Hiccup was running away from something out of fear, it was going to be dragons they were facing.

After Rapunzel left the carriage, the door opened and Lily and Yang entered the carriage. They joined up with Merida to ask her what happened. Merida didn't tell them, as it was right in front of them.

The back of the carriage was gone. A gaping hole was left where they could see the dark scenery. Dragons were chasing them, around thirty of them. These dragons were unrecognisable in the dark, and they didn't seem normal at all. Something about their roars and wing movements made them appear berserk or feral. But this was no coincidence they were attacking the train.

"What do we do?!" asked Merida as she fired her first arrow. "Spells won't work on them. Where's Xander? His Core Magic will work."

"No can do. Taking out five of them will wear us down by a lot. There's too many of them!" said Yang.

"Then we should get everyone here to move to the next carriage. When we do, we should decouple this carriage. We can use the school cloaks to make it look like people are still on it so the dragons will be distracted for long enough."

"Good plan, Merida. Lily, you go first. Me and Merida will distract the dragons in the meantime."

Lily nodded and left, other people were following her. Yang then went around telling others to leave as well while Merida fired her arrows on dragons that got close.

"Yang!" called Lily. Her face was distraught as she stood by the door connecting to the next carriage. "It won't open!"

"No…" Yang shook her head in denial and ran through the crowd gathered away from the dragons. The door on their carriage was open with no problem, but it was the one on the other carriage. With the train moving at this speed, she worried the train would turn and make her fall since she between both carriages. She wrapped her hands around the handle and tried getting it to budge, but even her strength made no difference.

Yang then looked through the window and saw someone standing on the other side of the door. It was Dagur, who was doing nothing to help them. It was him all along who was responsible for this mess.

"Open the goddamn door!" Yang was now banging on the glass, trying to get it to break. She didn't care he got glass in his eyes when it shattered—in fact, she was hoping it would.

Dagur then moved aside and Yang saw Hans trying to help with the door. She then turned to see Merida struggling. Soon she was going to run out of arrows, and she'd be first on the dragons' menu. Yang glanced up into the sky, thinking she saw someone jump from between the carriages from the roofs. Help was probably on its way now.

"Lily!" The sudden outburst startled the Gryffindor. "Go help Merida. You have your potions with you, right?"

Lily nodded. "All the time."

* * *

Nod, MK, and Elsa waited in their compartment, anxious to hear what happened. Nod stayed close the windows, seeing a few dragons in the sky blocking out the stars. They were awake before this all happened, talking about their goals this year since it was their second last one.

Nod was only focussed on Quidditch last year after it was cancelled last year because of the White Death's Curse. Although this year was going to be different as MK wasn't planning to participate anymore. Her studies were falling behind as was the rest of her peers. OWLs was last year, and it was unforgiving.

Hans returned to the compartment, out of breath, hands clutching onto his chest like a drama queen. He slowly caught his breath and told them what had happened, about the dragons that destroyed a part of the last carriage.

"There are still people on that carriage?" questioned Elsa. "We need to get them out of it now!"

"She's right." MK got up from her seat to follow the Princess. Hans and Nod followed and made it all the way to the end, where Dagur was standing.

"What's he doing with the door?" asked Nod. He was about to do something about it, but Hans stopped him.

"I'll deal with Dagur. You guys should find a way up to the roof to slow down the dragons. Even spells would suffice as they'd divert the dragon's attention. And Nod, use your broomstick if you need to."

Nod, MK, and Elsa agreed to the plan. They watched Hans move Dagur aside with no hesitation. Surprisingly the third year Slytherin did not retaliate and observe Hans trying to bust the door open, but the handle was tampered with.

"This way," said Elsa as she pointed to a hatch to the roof. There was no ladder to provide height for them to reach the hatch, so MK provided a short boost for Nod after he returned with his broomstick as he flipped open the lid and pulled himself up.

"Here." Nod reached his hand down to pull the both of them up. If they were lucky, the train wouldn't stop, or else they'd fall off the roof. "Let's go!" he ordered.

"Nod, wait!" called MK. She was struggling to walk on the roof properly. The speed of the train was holding them back that even Elsa stumbled before getting caught by MK.

"C'mon, there's no time to waste!"

"It's your Semblance, Nod. You're able to walk up here easily because of Quick Burst."

Nod realised that MK was right. He forgot his Semblance gave him this skill, which was what made him advantageous during Quidditch as he was able to manoeuvre at high speeds. For once there was an inkling of resentment he felt towards his Semblance.

"Don't worry, Nod. We can still use our spells from here. You use your broomstick to distract some of them." Elsa said. The two already trusted Nod to dodge their spells if he was within range. He'd be able to see the spell with his Semblance as if it was in slow motion, and dodging it was not a problem for him.

Nod ran down the roof of the carriage and jumped to the last carriage, where the last quarter of the roof was missing. "Hey!" he shouted and fired several spells at the dragons to anger them.

Some of the dragons notice him and fly to him, but he dodged the dragons by simply sidestepping them. A larger dragon which he had never seen before—not even during Gobber's Care of Magical Creatures classes—swooped down to Nod. Its wingspan was huge that there was nowhere for him to hide. Nod allowed his body to fall to the side off the train, where he was going to rely on his broomstick.

The unidentifiable dragon continued its way above the train as it headed near Elsa and MK. Mk shielded her eyes as requested by Elsa. Elsa extended her left arm, holding her wand towards the dragon.

Light gathered from the tip of the wand and was fired to the dragon before it reached them. The ball of light spiralled its way directly to the dragon's eyes, creating a stronger flash upon impact. Elsa had the time to also cover her eyes. Her reasonings led to her believe these dragons were adjusted to the darkness, as this attack began almost immediately after the sun disappeared.

The dragon was dazed by the glare and directed itself off the train, narrowingly avoiding the two sixth years. MK then watched and saw Nod rising back into the sky with his broomstick, shooting spells at more dragons. Elsa and MK joined in from the distance as planned.

* * *

"Get back here. Are you crazy?!" yelled a student in the last carriage. Merida wasn't going to back down just yet. She kept her hand on the remaining arrows, counting them with her fingers.

"Four." There were too many dragons still, and none of her arrows had actually scared them off. Only a small group had left, following somebody on a broomstick. Merida could recognise it was Nod.

Other students had to help Merida. These dragons were firing their breaths at them, so they needed to deflect the fire with other spells and shields.

"Merida," said Lily in a gentle voice.

The Slytherin turned and saw Lily holding a potion, ringing like bells. It was an explosive potion. "What does it do?"

"Freeze Potion. It will slow them down like the Freezing Spell." Lily explained.

"Smart. Since spells like that won't work on the dragons, the potions might." Merida was then worried the worst might happen. "Are you sure potions work against dragons?"

Lily nodded. "Yang and Xander used potions on Dusk Droids after their first year. It works."

"So are you throwing it? Or do you consider yourself more of a catcher?" Merida wondered. She was looking at the dragons and they got closer, so she fired an arrow. Three arrows left in her quiver. There wasn't any good spot to throw the potion, and the chance it was going to break on impact was low. Lily would have to land a clean hit on at least one of the middle dragons. "How many of those potions do you have?"

"One," Lily replied in embarrassment. "I will throw it in the middle of the dragons. You will shoot the potion with an arrow at the right time, yes?"

"Do you need to ask me that? I'm all open for suggestions." Merida took out another arrow and was ready to fire it whenever Lily was ready.

The blue potion was thrown towards the dragons and Merida aimed for it. It was easy, considering it glowed an intense blue within the darkness. The sound it gave off also made tracking it easier. The arrow was already on its way to trigger the potion like a catalyst.

The explosion created a powerful blue fog that instantly disappeared, uncovering the dragons that were now frozen. The sound of the potion made after the activation was satisfying, like a pond freezing in the winter. The dragons were still suspended in the air, slowly flapping their wings like they were in slow motion.

Merida could see Nod approaching them from the distance. He made it to the last carriage, holding onto his broomstick and running to the door. Hans was on the other side and they were still trying to get the door open.

"Get back, Nod. I'm going to blast the door handle open. Get the everyone in a compartment in case I accidentally break the door in front of you all."

Nod agreed to the plan and instructed everyone to head to safety.

Merida and Lily remained at the end of the carriage, observing the growing distance between them and the dragons. Merida noticed the dragons getting faster, and there was nothing left to stop the dragons. When they were finally thawed out of the frost, they continued pursuing the train. Merida grabbed Lily and pulled her into a compartment, hoping the dragons wouldn't see them.

They felt a shake on the carriage and unbearably scorching heat in the compartment. More of the carriage was torn off by one of the larger dragons. There was nowhere left for them to run. The large dragon then latched onto the carriage with its long claws, searching for a human. Merida could see it through the glass of the sliding door.

Darkness filled the area as the train entered a tunnel. The other dragons stopped following the train, but the large one was still causing trouble.

The door finally busted open, and Merida heard students leaving their compartments to the next carriage. They were near the start of the carriage, so the dragon couldn't have seen them. Lily and Merida were the only ones left on the carriage, but they were on one of the end compartments, near the dragon.

"Lily," whispered Merida. "What potions do you have left?"

The blonde was shaking as looked through her potion supply. "Multiply, Flash, Jump, Blast, Dis—" Merida stopped her midway.

"That can help us in this situation?" Lily shook her head.

Conveniently, powerful green flames filled the entire hallway, engulfing the dragon. Merida and Lily stood up and got out of hiding. After opening the sliding doors, they saw the dragon limp on the ground after getting affected by Core Magic.

Xander was at the door with Yang, his wand smoking after the spell and his eyes reverting back to grey. "Everyone all right?" he asked.

Yang then stormed to Dagur, grabbing him by the collar and pinned him against the wall. "You're really asking for it. I'll kill you before the train gets to Hogwarts!"

"Yang, no," commanded Xander.

"What are you doing?! He did something to the door and those were his dragons!"

"You do not know he was responsible. He could have been just trying to open the door, and not all dragons belong to the Berserkers."

Yang sighed and released Dagur from her grip. She still felt like breaking something. Merida was also on Yang's side. She hated how easily Dagur was off the hook.

"We'll take it from here," announced Hans as his friends returned to him. They took care of the dragon as well as the damages. The last carriage was now off limits, now taken care by prefects and any professors that took the train.

* * *

Merida safely made it to the other carriages, no door handles jamming anymore. She was searching for the compartment with Rapunzel and Hiccup. She hoped they were okay after hearing reports that a few dragons attacked the other carriages from the windows.

There they were, on the carriage behind the prefect's carriage. Hiccup must've tried to be as far away from the dragons as possible. Although it was justified, Hiccup's fear of dragons was becoming a problem. Perhaps it was time for her to help him become brave.

The rest of the ride was uncomfortable, as there were two extra students in their compartment. With one carriage off limits, the other compartments had to have at least an extra student. Discussing anything about the Dark Weapon was now prohibited. At least she was able to explain what happened just then and speculate hypothetical reasons as to why Dagur attacked the train.


	3. The Right Side

For once, the students had a peaceful hour to Hogwarts. Too many problems were arising to the professors, especially Lunar. Covering the problem was inevitable, hidden tracks dusted. While the small band of students from the third year knew what was going on, another lie was going to be announced to the ignorant. The ride on the Thestral carriages was like last year, but the boats for the first years were heavily reduced.

A lot of first years remained at Hogsmeade, ready to be sent back home. This accident at the train raised too many red flags. They dismissed those rumours of the White Death's Curse and thought they'd be able to tolerate the 'inconveniences'. The best ending was granted to these first years. They were spared from heartbreak and broken friendships they were meant to share in their future years at Hogwarts.

The Hogwarts Express was beyond dangerous for the departing students to use. The Ministry had been notified as to avoid another childish complaint. Several Aurors who had the ability to Apparate were sent over to manage both the train and the transportation the students needed back to London.

Nobody worried about their method returning home. None of these current first years lived outside of England, as the ones who were never got the chance to get to the United Kingdom in time before the train. Free of charge services such as the Floo Network and Portkeys were limited with the Ministry's new law, and the ones who weren't aware of this change never got the chance to ask the Ministry. There was no magic in their area to reach out to them. These were one of the reasons Lunar never fully entrusted his faith to the Ministry.

A meeting via the Floo Network was initiated between Lunar and Ignis, the Minister for Magic. There was a plan thought up by Ignis, and Lunar had no reason to refuse it.

"Ignis, I do believe our meeting isn't casual."

"It never was, Tsar Lunar," replied the old man. "What on earth happened?"

"The Hogwarts Express was attacked by a large group of dragons. These dragons were unidentifiable and we believe the Berserkers and Outcasts were responsible."

"The Berserkers and Outcasts?" Ignis was lost in thought, deciding whether or not the accusation was viable. "Is there any chance it was the Dark Weapon? I do not see how the two tribes were able to find already exotic creatures."

Lunar nodded. "While it is strange how the tribes were able to incite these rare dragons to attack the train, we've heard rumours that Dagur Vestarson—now the leader of the Berserkers—had sabotaged one of the doors to cause the demise of several students when the dragons attacked."

"And the students? What is the state of them now?"

"Only the first years who were on the last carriage decided to not attend Hogwarts. They are still shaken up while they wait at Hogsmeade Station. What do you want to do about the train?" asked Lunar.

"The Hogwarts Express has served the wizarding world well for centuries. I think it's about time we upgraded to something… innovative."

"What do you propose?" Lunar listened carefully to see if he was able to read the Minister's mind.

"The train is going to be replaced with a new train. It will be faster and durable than the previous. The extra strength of the train will be cancelled out with additional carriages to carry supplies from Corona and Arendelle. While the students are at Hogwarts, more storage will be available, accelerating the development of New Hogsmeade."

"I'm listening. And how do you propose we acquire this train?"

Ignis then smirked, which was rare. "I have contacted Arendelle Corp of this project, and the request is still pending as we speak. Surely you understand the Ministry is allowed to commence these things without your permission."

"Of course, Minister Ignis. I am nothing but the Headmaster of Hogwarts. I control Hogwarts while you control the wizarding world. We have to keep things professional at the very least."

"Indeed. This concludes our meeting. I only wanted to inform you of our plans." Ignis' face in the fires disappeared, leaving nothing but cinders in the fireplace.

Lunar waited several minutes until Moonhaven arrived to tell him the Start-of-Term Feast and Sorting ceremony were beginning. A paper plane was then headed his way after entering through the open window. It unfolded and neatly placed itself in front of Lunar.

Lunar picked up the envelope, seeing the seal from Arendelle. He broke the wax seal and read the letter. He already knew it was regarding the new train in development.

 _Tsar Lunar_

 _This is a notice about the Minister for Magic, Michael Ignis. We have reason to believe he is plotting things behind your back as a way to regain order over the wizarding world. We are sure the Ministry share a common enemy, the Dark Weapon, but both Arendelle Corp and the Kingdom of Corona trust you as our leader as we have all these years._

 _Ignis has written to us recently, detailing his interests to replace the Hogwarts Express with a new train made by our technology. We have nothing against this idea, but we do not see a reason for it in the first place. We have informed Frederic and Arianna of Corona about this change given the fact the track makes a complete halt at Corona, but they haven't replied since._

 _Construction of the train has already begun, but we are more than willing to halt Ignis' plans if you are not pleased with how this is unfolding. Simply telling the Ministry that these plans were unrealistic will definitely thwart Ignis' plans for leadership. We expect a letter detailing how you want this to play out._

 _Agnarr Arendelle and Iduna Arendelle_

 _Chief Executive Officers of Arendelle Corp_

 _King and Queen of Arendelle_

Lunar was pleased to have seen this message. Despite the Ministry's attempts to gain power, they have failed to gain the trust and loyalty of both Resource Kingdoms: Corona and Arendelle. There were also the Military Kingdoms with powerful arsenals: Dunbroch and Moonhaven, who would stand by his side no matter what the Ministry wanted.

Though, one faction was about to be lost. If issues about the Berserkers and Outcasts persisted, Berk might eventually fall with these enhanced dragons. Surely Dunbroch and Moonhaven's forces were enough to hold off a powerful army, but Berk's dragons were the trump cards, as the enemies would not suspect Berk to be threats since they were not considered a 'kingdom'. Lunar's affiliation with the village elder, Gothi, ensured the loyalty of Berk.

That might've been another intention Ignis wanted when registering owned dragons. Now that a list was compiled, he might consider using Berk as a valuable asset against the Dark Weapon, but the problem was if he'd use them too early. Lunar, on the other hand, preferred a surprise attack to throw the Dark Weapon off their tracks.

Lunar wrote his reply to Arendelle, confirming that he wanted Ignis' plans to continue—so long as Lunar was the one with all the factions on his side.

* * *

Students were gathered in the Great Hall, seated beside members in their house. The shortest Sorting ceremony had concluded, with only twenty-five first years—much less than the quantity in Merida's year.

Professor Lunar made a speech before the feast, informing the students about the new 'Dusk Train', as nicknamed by the students during the feast. Speculations were also heard by curious ears. There was a theory about the Hogwarts Express being powered by magic, but due to the decline of the magical essence, the train was no longer going to function. The best solution for that complication was to replace it with a more reliable source of energy: Dusk.

At least another dragon attack at Hogwarts was unlikely. Anyone on the Hogwarts grounds would be able to spot a threat miles away in contrast to last year, where the fog prevented people from seeing any noticeable threats.

Merida remained at her table. Today and the End-of-Term feast were times when she felt like she had to sit with her own house. She kept a stable conversation with Heather, but the girl was edgy that night. Heather knew as much as they did about the dragon attack. She explained to Merida that she had no idea they'd be used to attack the train.

"Dagur's getting all the dragons he can. He went to my village during the holiday, hoarding all the dragons the Ministry left behind. He's building an army. Something big is coming and he's going to force me to be part of it."

"And you're not refusing?" asked Merida.

Heather shook her head. "He'll kill whoever defies him. Oliver from Ravenclaw already told me to choose the safest and wisest option. And I do think the Ministry is wrong for taking our dragons."

"How many are with Dagur?" asked Merida, knowing Berk was not going to involve themselves in this feud.

"Me, Oliver, and Holly. She's not from my island, but is still from a village that was taken over by the Berserkers long before her parents existed."

Holly was a few seats away from Merida, conversing with Bryan, one of the Stabbington Brothers. It had occurred to Merida that Bryan's twin, Bryce, was in Ravenclaw, even though they were twins and hard to tell apart. The Thorston Twins were both in Gryffindor, so why weren't Bryan and Bryce in the same house? Merida shouldn't have found that as odd. Both her parents were from Gryffindor while she wasn't.

"Holly was Vanessa's friend, right? But now she left after the curse."

"Yeah, Cacklestare was quite fearless, which Holly admired. I guess Bryan's got a few topics she'd be interested in since he'd spent these two years with his twin and Dagur."

"What do you mean?" asked Merida.

"She looks up to Dagur, unlike me. She feels as if Dagur freed her village from a weak leader. I guess we all have different opinions on the matter."

Merida squinted her eyes, looking for Dagur, but he was nowhere to be found. Normally searching for people was Merida's skill, so if she couldn't find Dagur, he wasn't in the Great Hall.

"Hey," called a familiar voice.

Merida stirred and turned herself to look behind. "Yang? Are you looking for someone?"

"I was actually looking for you," replied the Hufflepuff. "I'm here to thank you for last year. You were able to stop Gothel and the White Death."

"Wasn't it Professor Black who stopped her?" questioned Merida.

"I guess I'm not being specific. I'm thanking you for that deal we made. If you didn't crack the puzzle to the temple, Xander would get involved. I told him that I trusted that you guys would be able to. He didn't think of me as a strategic planner. So when you and your friends opened the temple, it showed that he was wrong, and I was right." Yang gave Merida one of the brightest grins ever.

"And besides," she continued, "You _did_ stop the White Death. You don't need to be so modest. I have proof." Yang held out her Prophecy Record.

"So is that all," asked Merida to avoid the awkward silence.

"Oh—here." Yang pulled something out of her pocket with her other hand. "This is for you." A pale yellow potion was presented.

"A potion?" Merida grabbed it with both her hands, shaking slightly to see if it was an explosive one made by Lily. No sound was heard but the bubbles of the liquid.

"Lily tried to make Corona's Potion, but so far no results. She gave this to me… I have no idea when I'd need to use it and I can't be bothered carrying it around!"

"So it heals?"

Yang nodded. "It should, otherwise I'd be telling Lily to find a new hobby. Most potions take several minutes for its effects to heal, but this one is almost instant. And the bonus… It recovers anyone under the effects of Core Magic. How cool is that?"

"Why'd Lily add that to the potion?" asked Merida. "Are you saying Lily and Xander don't get along?"

Yang looked to her right, seeing if Xander was listening to them. "Just between you and me, they look like they're about to tear each other apart."

"So what if I don't want the potion?"

"Well you better take it. It's also your birthday in a few weeks, right? You're like the first birthday every time school begins. You can thank Nessa for making me remember. Everyone was so confused to find a cake for you at the Slytherin table."

Merida wished everyone forgot about that day. She was Nessa O'Reilly's first birthday victim, and to this day, nobody still figured out how Nessa knew everyone's date of birth.

* * *

When the feast ended, Hiccup followed his group to the common room. They were one of the last groups to leave after the first years. The seventh year prefect had led them to make sure none of them strayed from the group, but she was too preoccupied in her thoughts, worried about the last year of Hogwarts, bringing Hiccup to wonder if anything happened to the school before Hiccup joined. Surely something eventful like the White Death's Curse would've been shared to Berk.

A hand had grabbed onto Hiccup's hood, stopping him on his tracks and pulling him away from the prefect's sight. Nobody saw it happen—luckily. Hiccup grabbed the hand to resist the pull, but it was Merida who had been trying to gather her friends together.

"Merida? What are you doing?" he asked and saw Rapunzel behind the red-haired Slytherin.

Merida kept her finger on her lips, begging him to keep quiet. They waited while moving slowly until nobody was heard nearby. Merida finally let go of Hiccup's robe, which she was only aware of when they were near the library.

"Dagur wasn't there at the Great Hall. If he was on the Hogwarts Express, then he's somewhere where he shouldn't be."

"And you think looking for him is the best option? We'll say goodbye to Hogwarts the moment we're caught."

"That's not true, Hiccup," said Rapunzel. "So many students left last year, and barely any first years joined this year. I think the professors are eager to keep as many students here at Hogwarts."

"They were so willing to allow us to leave last year. How're three more students leaving any different to them?" Hiccup argued.

"Hiccup. Do you want to find out what Dagur's up to or not?" Merida asked with a serious tone.

Hiccup nodded defeatedly. "But where would he be?"

"Not sure. We should look around first and see if anything's out of the ordinary. If we're out of luck, you know what the last resort is."

Hiccup hoped he wasn't sharing the same idea as them. The Forbidden Forest more dangerous than ever, since there were still creatures affected by Corruption last year. There was also no confirmation that all the Fearlings were eliminated last year either.

* * *

Again in the forest, where nobody could help them, the three third years were prepared. Merida had her bow, which she always hid in the bushes after the Thestral ride. Hiccup and Rapunzel used their spells to illuminate the path before them, hoping the only one to notice the light was Dagur. At least then they'd be able to figure out his plans.

"We're not going far into the Forbidden Forest, are we?" asked Rapunzel.

"Not tonight, unless we see a wisp." Merida replied.

"Oh… no." Hiccup added. "Even if we saw a wisp, we'd head back inside. Don't you remember what happened the last time we saw it last year?"

"It led us to a witch's temple?" answered Merida.

"Before that. The curse started the moment we got to the Callanish Stones." Hiccup corrected. They were several trees into the forest, but they knew their way back. The warm light from the school was visible.

Only ten minutes passed and they all eventually gave up on their wild goose chase. Hiccup was first to act on their failure by turning around, shining his wand over the path that led them back. Rapunzel waited for Merida to accept that they were nowhere near finding Dagur. With a sigh, Merida followed the two back.

It was then when Merida noticed something at the corner of her sight. The moment she turned, something was out of place. The princess made a pause, waiting to confirm her suspicions. The sound then gave it away. Someone was nearby, headed their direction. It could've been an innocent wanderer, but who'd be innocent enough to venture through one of the most dangerous places in Scotland full of dark creatures?

"Expelliarmus!" The red spell headed to the figure, which Rapunzel and Hiccup spotted afterwards. The red light was coming close to the victim, but nothing happened when the spell made contact.

Hiccup and Rapunzel's light came together to expose the person's figure. It was a male wearing a hooded cloak, quite familiar too. The figure pulled back his hood, revealing to be Xander. They remembered that cloak being big on him, but now it seemed to fit a little better.

"Xander?" Hiccup aimed his wand at the Slytherin, darting his head back and forth to see if they weren't alone. Merida did the same, admiring Hiccup's paranoia. "What are you doing here?"

Xander gave them a fake smile, smug as one would describe, annoying Hiccup. "I could ask you the same thing." Xander slowly paced, walking around them like a predator circling its prey.

"Stop the act. We know you're stalling," said Merida. She felt her insides turn as if she was going to snap. She couldn't believe she was already losing her patience.

"Not a stall at all. I am just here to look for Dagur. Although it would appear that you three are already doing it for me."

"Why are you looking for Dagur, Xander? We know Dagur's plans don't involve you," said Rapunzel. Only she didn't have her wand up, for she knew he meant to harm to them. If he never wanted to be found out, they would've already been hit by a Memory Charm. There's no doubt he'd know that spell as well.

"Unfortunately plans always change. I was in charge of making the plans during our first year; last year was Yang. We trusted John to give it a go this year, but his laziness and lack of wit made us take over."

"Us? So you and Yang are now plotting things like you always do?" asked Merida.

"That is correct, and Dagur's army is the solution to these plans."

"You've known about these plans for a while, haven't you? You had Yang spy on them." Hiccup's arm slowly lowered without him being aware. "Were you responsible for those dragons that attacked the Hogwarts Express?"

"Do not make me laugh. I am not a fan of defective allies. Yang and I are just here to lend the Outcasts a hand. Whether or not they attacked the Hogwarts Express does not concern us."

"Why do you want to help? The Ministry are the good guys. They want the Dark Weapon stopped as much as we do!" complained Hiccup.

"The Ministry _are_ indeed the 'good guys', but their existence is needless. They created so many complications that simply wiping them out would benefit us all. Think who has been in charge all this time after Year X."

"Lunar…" replied Rapunzel.

"A shame we did not find you before Jack did, Rapunzel. You would have been extremely helpful." Xander's wand lowered too. "I promise nobody from this school will get hurt, and that includes Dagur, Heather, Oliver, and Holly. Dagur will reclaim his dragon, and so will Alvin the Treacherous. What they decide to do with them does not concern me. The defeat of the Ministry will be a great humiliation. They might even reconsider making these absurd laws. My advice: Stay out of the crossfire."

"And if we don't?" challenged Merida.

"You and your friends will hurt yourselves. How about I tell you this: After I stopped Yang from attacking Dagur on the train, I told her to check Dagur's history, showing if he ever tampered with the door handle. The result: An innocent boy."

"So the door handle just conveniently malfunctioned?" asked Hiccup.

Xander shook his head. "Somebody else was responsible for it, and they must have known about the dragon attack."

"I don't believe any of this! If Dagur planned that dragon attack, then he'd be responsible for that door. If Yang didn't see Dagur do it, then he made someone else do it for him, someone like Holly," explained Merida.

"Or somebody saw it as an opportunity to get the others hurt by the dragons. Again, you cannot prove those dragons Dagur sent belonged to him. Yang also cannot look up everyone's past. There are simply too many names to remember."

Xander was first to leave, not deciding to stay with those three in the forest. They had extra planning to do if they were thinking of spying on Dagur. Of course, he was helping them last year, so they considered trusting him. This night, nobody was successful in finding Dagur.

Only Hiccup was not trusting towards Xander. Merida somehow trusted Yang, who trusted Xander. Rapunzel felt like she could see where Xander was coming from, but he mentioned something about John which bothered her. He was apparently meant to be making all the plans this year, but so far his friends weren't impressed. Did that mean John wasn't friends with Xander, Yang, and Lily anymore?

"Merida, if you're going to trust Xander, does that mean you're going to give up on breaking the rules to see what Dagur was up to? You _were_ the one who had the idea of heading out here to look for him."

Merida felt defeated until another idea sparked into her head. "Hiccup, we're not going to break the rules to find out what's going on. Xander already gave us a few hints if we want to investigate. He mentioned Holly, Oliver, and Heather. Dagur may have not been at the feast, but those three were. We can observe them during class, and Dagur is most likely going to class too. If he was to be absent most of the time, the professors would wonder too."

"How are we supposed to get close to them to find out?" asked Hiccup.

"We don't need to talk to them. We just have to see where they go during the breaks. If a plan is being hatched, they'd need to all meet up to discuss it. And if all of them are absent, that's when we know they're having that meeting."


End file.
